Eugene l



(NOModeL) I E. L. HOWE.

Truck, I

No. 230,630. Patented Aug. 3,1880.

mvigima N PETERS. PHOTOUTHDGRAPHER, WASHlNGTON D. c

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE L. HOWE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO JAMES P. COONLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 230,630, dated August 3, 1880.

Application filed April 12,1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EUGENE L. HOWE, of Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Truck,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of trucks which are particularly adapted for carrying barrels and other similar articles in an upright position.

Heretofore trucks have had their side rails slightly curved or bent downwardly from near their free ends, to which ends are secured by bolts the handles,'said side rails being connected together by straight cross-bars, one of I 5 which is located some distance below the bend of the side rails toward the forward end of the truck, and provides means for securing a band or bail to encircle and retain a barrel resting upon an angular and swinging platform at the forward end of the truck.

The band above referred to is, owing to its contracted size, adapted to encircle a barrel only between its bulge and top, and is therefore merely a retaining or holding device to prevent the barrel from tipping forward off the swinging platform, and in this respect such trucks are similar in operation and effectiveness to others having a curved axle to support a barrel or box, which barrel or box is held upon the axle by a chain passed around its upper half and secured to hooks upon the side rails.

Among the objections to the construction first mentioned are, first, that by reason of 3 5 having the curvature of the side rails near the handles, and so far removed from the weight to be lifted, little or 110 ad vantage is secured over the ordinary or straight side-rail truck in lifting heavy weights; second, the location of 4.0 the band so far below its fulcrum, which is at the bend of the side rails, requires more power to operate it 5 and, finally, in neither of these trucks the band nor the chain are operative without a base-support, which requires the 5 barrel or box to be tilted, and consequently handled, in order to load them upon the trucks. The object of my invention is to remove these objections by producing a truck having side rails so constructed that an operator is enabled to lift heavier weights than heretofore, and to provide a band or belt that will not only grasp and retain a barrel without the necessity of handling to load and unload the truck, but support as well as retain the barrel upon the truck without the aid of a base-sup- 1 port.

A A represent bars forming the side rails and handles of my truck.

B B are cross-bars connecting the side rails, and with them forming a supporting-platform, one end of which is mounted upon wheels C, journaled upon a shaft, D, passing through the side rails or brackets upon them. These side rails, from the forward end of the truck to just beyond the bar B, are straight, but are bent downwardly at at until that portion of them extending beyond the platform and terminating in the handles of the truck is at nearly a right angle to said platformor, in other words, the side rails are bent downwardly forward of the center of length. The purpose in thus bending these rails at this point is to increase the leverage of the truck without per- 7 ceptibly inereasin g its length, and at the same time to permit the attendant to utilize his weight when lowering them, after loading, from their elevated positon, which cannot be done when the handles are straight with the side rails until thetrucks are partially lowered, for in this case. the power must first exert itself at a right angle to the length of the truck until the line of direction falls outside of the 0 base next the power.

By bending the side rails so near the fulcrum of the truck I am enabled to manipulate heavier bodies in thus overcoming the dead weight which exists in the first part of the lift 5 without calling to aid assistants; and as I am not aware that side rails of trucks have before been bent to adapt them for this purpose, I consider this an important feature of my invention.

Furthermore, when lifting barrels I am enabled to trundle them in an upright position without spilling their contents.

The cross-bars B B are concaved upon their upper edge to conform to the shape of the sides of a barrel. By thus curving the crossbars the barrel is prevented from rolling, and is less liable to slip endwise when loaded and bound upon them. The cross-bars also terminate in screw-threaded ends provided with nuts to make them detachable from the side rails or be rounded and secured in the same manner.

The handles may be provided with a detachable brace-rod, D, as shown, to give them the necessary rigidity, and in some cases, for convenience in handling small articles, the truck may be provided with a toe-piece, E, pivoted to the side rails, as shown, to be swung out of the way beneath the truck when not in use; but I do not, however, consider this an essential feature of my invention.

For the purpose of affording means for loading my trucks I have provided a band, G, the free ends of which are bent and removably secured, as shown, by springing said bent ends into perforations gin the bend and near the upper edge of the side rails. A series of these perforations may be made to enable the ad- 0 justment of the band to articles difl'ering in size. This band is thus secured pivotally, and is of sufficient length to be swung clear of the top of the article when the trucks are up-ended to receive it, so as to be dropped down below the horizontal center of the weight to be lifted, in which position, by reason of the then elevated position of the pivotal point of the band and the tendency of the weight to topple forward, the band is caused to tighten itself and bind the article in such a manner as to not only retain but support the article upon the curved cross-bars of the truck, so that with the truck it is a lifting-lever as well as a retaining-band.

In order to prevent the band from slipping it is slightly curved and its inner side provided with a knife-edge, as shown in Fig. 3; but instead of the knife-edge I may substitute points or corrugate the edge, though it is obvious that in ordinary cases-i. 0., when the article is not slippery from oil, &;c.--a round or flat band would take hold with equal facil- 1 Although I have described and shown a band of a single piece of metal as particularly adapted to accomplish the desired end, I do not limit myself to this particular construction, for I may use a chain or other device suitable for this purpose without departing from what I consider the essential and important feature of my invention-viz., a band to retain and support an article upon trucks when the latter are at such an angle that the article would otherwise'slip oil.

In the drawings I have shown my trucks as particularly adapted for moving barrels; but it will be seen from the above description that they may be adapted for boxes, 850., without substantially departing from my invention.

In operation the curvature of the side rails, by reason of their relative position to the weight and to their fulcrum, enables a single person to lift weights which, by the ordinary construe tion-i. 0., straight side rails curving near the handles and a toe--would require two persons to make the lift, and also a third person to tip the weight upon the platform; so, also, where, when a retaining-chain is used, two persons would be required, one to push the toe under while a second tips the weight and steadies it during the operation of lifting it from the ground; whereas by the combined operation of my side rails and supportingband a single person is enabled to load, lift, trundle away, and unload the same weight without having to lay his hands upon it. Furthermore, the weight is bound so firmly to the platform that no unevenness of the surface over which the weight is being drawn, unless sufficient to over turn the trucks, will cause the weight to be displaced.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a truck, the side rails, A A, bent between the center of length and forward end, to form substantially a right-angle lever having its fulcrum at the end or axle of the truck, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a truck, the combination, with the side rails and with concave cross-pieces, of a band or chain adjust-ably pivoted to said side rails and extending forward, so that when the crosspieces are placed against the side of an upended barrel said band will encircle the same below its bulge or center of weight, and thereby bind and, with the cross-pieces, independently support, the barrel upon the truck.

3. In trucks, a binding-band provided upon its inner side with a knife-edge or projection, substantially as described, and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the side bars, A A, perforated and bent as described, of a binding and supporting bail or chain pivotally and. removably secured to said bars, as and for the purpose set forth.

EUGENE L. HOWE.

Witnesses JOHN G. ELLIOTT, JAMES P. GooNLEY.

IIS 

